(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device for extinguishing lit objects, such as smouldering cigarette ends or match sticks, which is simple in its structure and is capable of easily and unfailingly extinguishing such objects.
(B) Description of the Prior Art
Normally, when a cigarette end which is still smouldering is to be discarded, the extinguishment thereof is commonly effected by rubbing the end to an ashtray or by dipping the end in water kept in the ashtray. However, the former is not only troublesome to a person smoking the cigarette but also involves a risk that the cigarette is not completely extinguished so that it may be the cause of a fire especially in the winter season when the air is dry. Further, although the latter can assure complete extinguishment, there is not only an inconvenience that water must always be kept in the ashtray but also a problem that the cleaning of the ashes of discarded cigarette ends caked on the ashtray is difficult.
Therefore, in order to overcome these problems, there have heretofore been proposed some ashtrays wherein a means is provided therein to easily remove that part of a cigarette end which is still smouldering or wherein a wet spongelike object is disposed within the ashtray. However, there were defects in such ashtrays in that they were difficult to clean and their design was unavoidably poor because of their complicated structure.